Project description:A healthy rumen is crucial for normal growth and improved production performance of ruminant animals. Rumen microbes participate in and regulate rumen epithelial function, and the diverse metabolites produced by rumen microbes are important participants in rumen microbe-host interactions. SCFAs, as metabolites of rumen microbes, have been widely studied, and propionate and butyrate have been proven to promote rumen epithelial cell proliferation. Succinate, as an intermediate metabolite in the citric acid cycle, is a final product in the metabolism of certain rumen microbes, and is also an intermediate product in the microbial synthesis pathway of propionate. However, its effect on rumen microbes and rumen epithelial function has not been studied. It is unclear whether succinate can stimulate rumen epithelial development. Therefore, in this experiment, Chinese Tan sheep were used as experimental animals to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the rumen microbiota community structure and rumen epithelial transcriptome, to explore the role of adding succinate to the diet in the interaction between the rumen microbiota and host.
Project description:Microbiome DNA from the adhering fraction of a sheep rumen. The RSTs were generated using an improved version of SARST (referred to as iSARST) from the microbiome DNA extracted from the adhering fraction of the rumen content taken from a sheep. The iSARST method is going to be submitted to Nature Biotechnology for publication. Keywords: other
Project description:Microbiome DNA from the adhering fraction of a sheep rumen. The RSTs were generated using an improved version of SARST (referred to as iSARST) from the microbiome DNA extracted from the adhering fraction of the rumen content taken from a sheep. The iSARST method is going to be submitted to Nature Biotechnology for publication. Keywords: other
Project description:To investigate the impact of adding succinate to the diet on the production performance, meat quality, muscle fiber characteristics, and transcriptome of the longissimus dorsi muscle in Tan sheep, 36 Tan sheep were selected and fed with different levels of succinate (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 2.0%) for a 60-day trial period. Overall, compared to the control group, the addition of succinate to the diet improved the production performance, slaughter performance, and meat quality of Tan sheep. It significantly increased dry matter intake, carcass weight, eye muscle area, and the GR value while significantly reducing the shear force and cooking loss of the longissimus dorsi muscle (p<0.05). Furthermore, the addition of succinate to the diet altered the muscle fiber characteristics of the longissimus dorsi muscle in Tan sheep, significantly increasing the fiber diameter and cross-sectional area of type I and type IIa muscle fibers (p<0.05). The addition of 1.0% succinate to the diet altered the transcriptome of the longissimus dorsi muscle in Tan sheep, with 741 differentially expressed genes identified compared to the control group. These differentially expressed genes were involved in various pathways related to lipid metabolism, energy metabolism, and muscle development, such as insulin secretion, insulin resistance, cAMP signaling pathway, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and FoxO signaling, among others. In summary, succinate plays a crucial role in regulating energy metabolism, protein deposition, and glucose and lipid metabolism homeostasis in Tan sheep through insulin signaling pathways and the interaction of muscle cell factors. By modulating the expression of relevant genes, succinate improves the muscle fiber characteristics of Tan sheep, thereby enhancing production performance and meat quality.
Project description:Rumen microbes play an important role in the growth and development of ruminants. Differences in variety will affect the rumen community structure. The three excellent sheep breeds were selected for this study (Hu sheep, Tan sheep, and Dorper sheep) have different uses and origins. The sheep were raised on the same diet to 180 d of age in a consistent environment. 16S rDNA V3 to V4 region sequencing was used to assess the rumen microbes of 180 individuals (60 per breed). There were differences in microbial diversity among different sheep breeds (P < 0.05). Principal coordinate analysis showed that the three varieties were separated, but also partially overlapped. Linear discriminant analysis effect size identified a total of 19 biomarkers in three breeds. Of these biomarkers, five in Hu sheep were significantly negatively correlated with average feed conversion rate (P < 0.05). Six biomarkers were identified in the rumen of Dorper sheep, among which Ruminococcus was significantly positively correlated with body weight at 80 d (P < 0.05). In Tan sheep, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group was significantly positively correlated with meat fat, and significantly positively correlated with volatile fatty acids (VFAs), such as butyric acid and isobutyric acid (P < 0.05). The Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group may regulate Tan mutton fat deposition by affecting the concentration of VFAs. Functional prediction revealed enrichment differences of functional pathways among different sheep breeds were small. All were enriched in functions, such as fermentation and chemoheterotrophy. The results show that there are differences in the rumen microorganisms of the different sheep breeds, and that the microorganisms influence the host.